


Death & Taxes

by TheFemale_Accountant



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Accounting, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blow Jobs, Cats, Cooking, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, M/M, Rimming, Sugar Daddy, Teasing, Whipped Cream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-04-30 21:12:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14505588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFemale_Accountant/pseuds/TheFemale_Accountant
Summary: Bucky is a rich, good-looking partner at the accounting firm Fury & Coulson LLC. Steve is a new tax associate coming into the firm. One look is all it takes to ignite something they never saw coming.**This is my first story guys! It's going to be a slow burn, and there will be smut later once the characters are ready for it. Sorry if it's a bit nerdy, but that's me!





	1. Angst & Innocence

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! If you see something you like (or don't like) about the story, please drop me a comment and let me know! All feedback appreciated for my first try writing. I've just become addicted to these characters lately. 
> 
> Also-- I'm not the quickest writer. But I'll try to keep up and get out new chapters as soon as possible! :)

_~Bucky's POV~_

The rain lightly crept up on the city of Atlanta, creating a soft and pleasant background noise for the slumbering masses trying to postpone another day of work. Suddenly, lightning flashed across the skyline and the rain turned hard and cold. Bucky bolted upright in his oversized king bed breathing hard. Ever since he was a young boy, thunderstorms had always caused him unrelenting anxiety. He never understood why; neither did a series of expensive therapists over the years. Most had been consumed by the fact that it related back to a traumatic childhood experience. The idea was such bullshit in Bucky’s opinion. He rolled over and looked at his iHome, glaring the time in bright blue letters: **5:32**. He groaned and glanced towards the windows, realizing the rain wasn’t going to let up anytime soon. Normally he slept until about 6am, but that didn’t seem to be an option this morning. Bucky released an agitated sigh as he also realized he wouldn’t be able to complete his morning run outside. He would have to settle for the cramped gym in the building that smelled of bleach and dried sweat. 

He swung his legs out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. His feet met the cool surface of marble tile and he groped the wall, searching for the switch to activate the heated floors. Bucky smacked a combination of switches and a dim light above the sinks turned on, allowing him to find his way to the toilet. After a quick relief of his bladder, he walked back over to the left sink and washed his hands with the apple spice moisturizing soap his ex-boyfriend had left behind. Tony had moved out over two months ago, but Bucky had been so busy at work he hadn’t gotten around to throwing the soap away yet. In fact, he needed to cleanse his condo of all things Tony. He knew for a fact there were old architectural blueprints stashed under his desk with Tony’s name on them, along with a framed picture of the two of them hastily thrown into his nightstand. Tony had missed these few items as he was running out of the condo, yelling at Bucky. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Who the fuck cares what your office would think of us? Don’t I matter more than their oppressive opinions?” Tony had screamed at Bucky. 

Bucky had thought that was true, he really had. But as Tony asked him thequestion, all he could do was gape at Tony, failing to find anything meaningful to say in return. His career was extremely important to him. He had worked too hard to become an assurance partner at Fury & Coulson LLC. All the long hours, busy seasons, traveling, and useless meetings had finally paid off. Bucky had been a partner now for about three years. And he wasn’t about to let the prying and gossipy minds of his fellow accountants concerning his relationship status fuck that up. 

He lowered his head in shame, eyes watering slightly. “I’m so sorry Tony, but I think it does matter. More than I previously realized.” He glanced up at Tony to find silent tears streaming down his face, a look of anger and loss forming in his eyes. 

“Fine then,” Tony replied curtly. “James, this is done. We are done. You aren’t worth all the pain.” Tony had glanced around the condo, eyes falling on the items that were his. He opened the coat closet, grabbed a large reusable bag, and started stuffing these items into it. Three minutes later, he was walking towards the door and detaching his key to the condo in the process. Tony dropped the key on the table next to the door with a loud clunk. “Goodbye, James.” He closed the door behind him, and Bucky could see his hands trembling and knew his heart was tearing down the middle. Tony was gone.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bucky jolted out of his memories and looked up into the mirror. The fact that Tony had used his real first name stressed the finality of it all. Tony never called him James, only his colleagues did. Even then, it was only his colleagues that he wasn’t friendly with. Bucky missed Tony more than anything, but work had kept him busy and, at times, from completely falling apart. Tony had been his longest relationship to date. It used to be when he looked back on the relationship all he could see were the stolen kisses, late-night movie marathons (filled with plenty of cuddling and inside jokes), and the burning desire to have Tony’s body next to his. But now all he could see were the rough patches and constant fighting. Bucky took a deep breath. Deep down, he knew Tony wasn’t “the one” for him. He wasn’t even sure he had a “one.” However if such a person existed for Bucky, it definitely wasn’t Tony. 

Bucky dried his hands and tried to shake off the feelings of sadness and regret. He had better things to do with his time. He strode over to the closet and changed into a light grey pair of joggers and a black Dri-FIT tank top. His dark brown hair was getting a tad longer than usual. He was debating between cutting it short again and growing it long enough for a man bun. That seemed to be a style these days, and Bucky knew he had the face shape to pull it off. For now he left it down, and pulled on his running shoes along with a fitbit. He looked in the full-length mirror, gauging his appearance. Perfect. If there were any hot, single men in the gym this early, they would certainly take note of Bucky and his taut ass and defined biceps. He smirked as his reflection, grabbed his iPhone and earbuds, and headed towards the gym. As he climbed onto the nearest treadmill, he scrolled through his workout playlist. “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga seemed to be the optimal choice to start his workout this morning. He chuckled to himself, trying to lighten his sullen mood. If only his buddies at work could see his music choice. Bucky started the machine and kept up a steady pace, adding a decent incline to push himself. His usual run consisted of a two-mile jog around the neighborhood. This morning, he took it much further and finally pushed stop after running four straight miles. 

Panting slightly, he went back up to his place and hopped into the giant walk-in shower. Scrubbing away the sweat and grime he started to think about his day and the multitude of tasks he needed to accomplish. _8:00am—check in with my secretary, Carol. 9:00am—weekly meeting with the CFO of Dell. 10-11am—check in with the various teams he was in charge of. 12:15pm—new client lunch at Kampai. 2:00pm—speak to new hires (both audit and tax)_. Shit, he had definitely forgotten about the new recruits starting work today. Usually he would have already prepared a speech, but today he would just have to wing it. He continued mumbling to himself as he finished washing his body, trying to formulate at least an outline for the speech and advice he was supposed to provide later today. 

He always hated giving advice to new hires. Everyone coming into a public accounting firm had a different agenda: earning their CPA, gaining experience, making money, blah blah blah. Only about 10% of the time did someone actually care enough to stay at the company for more than 4 years, or better yet have the desire to become a partner one day. He hated that people looked at the firm this way. Bucky had spent so much time and effort building his reputation at the firm while simultaneously building the firm’s reputation as well. He wanted the company to thrive—and maybe even go international one day soon. Bucky sighed. This wasn’t the time to dwell on the hindrances of life. He just hoped the new hires wouldn’t be _complete_ morons. 

Finishing up his morning routine, he shaved and dressed, opting for his favorite blue suit with a crisp white button-down shirt and dark purple tie to round off the look. He made himself a quick breakfast of oatmeal and juice before shrugging on a waterproof peacoat, grabbing an umbrella and his briefcase, and darting out the door to work. While he did own a beautiful little Mercedes, he only lived two blocks from work and refused to pollute the environment by being lazy. After practically running to the office, he breezed into work and started going about his day.

As per usual, his secretary greeted him with a broad smile and a quick wink. Carol consistently flirted with him, as did the majority of other women in the office. No one at the firm knew of his sexual and romantic preferences, and he wanted to keep it that way. Scratch that—Clint knew. Clint Barton was a tax partner at the firm and one of Bucky’s closest friends. They had known one another since college when they met on the archery team (lame, right?). Ever since they had won state finals, with Clint leading them to victory, they were inseparable. Clint understood how frustrating Carol could be, as he had been on the receiving end of her flirtations as well. And even though Clint enjoyed the presence of both men and women alike, Carol was always the exception. 

“Hey man, what’s wrong?” Clint called out as he caught up to Bucky in the hallway. Clint met Bucky’s dark expression laced with annoyance. “Ahh, should’ve known. It’s always Carol… or should I say, the squid.” Clint chuckled to himself. He prided himself on picking Carol’s nickname.

“She just won’t take a damn hint!” Barked out Bucky. “I swear to god, if I wasn’t quick enough this morning she would’ve grabbed my dick straight through my pants. It’s like she has eight tentacles, er, arms.” Bucky let out a frustrated sigh. He knew Carol had only been “taking his coat for him” but it’s not at all what it looked like. 

Clint laughed. “You really just need to have her transferred to another department Buck.” Clint lowered his voice into a seductive tone. “Maybe trade her in for a more muscular and male shaped model. If you know what I mean.” Clint arched his eyebrows as he leaned in towards Bucky. 

Bucky shoved Clint’s arm. “You know I can’t do that. Then I would never get anything done.” Bucky ran his hands through his silky hair. “I’ll just have to replace her when I get a moment to finally think. This Dell engagement is taking forever to finish.” 

Clint could tell that Bucky was seriously stressing about work. Too much in his opinion. “You know what you really need? Is to GET LAID.” Clint practically screamed at him. 

Bucky quickly shoved Clint into a nearby empty conference room and slammed the door. “Clint! What the hell man? I don’t think the whole office needs to know that I’m not getting any. Besides, I don’t think random sex will help.” Bucky twined his fingers together and glanced down to avoid Clint’s eyes. 

Clint paused, noting the change in Bucky’s tone of voice. “Is this about Tony still? Buck, when are you going to realize that you are worth it? You are worth falling for and loving. Tony just couldn’t see the bigger picture.” He rubbed small circles on Bucky’s back in an encouraging manner. “Just keep your head up. You won’t catch a new man with that sad puppy look on your face.”

Bucky cracked a smile at Clint, crossing his arms over his chest. “Hey, this look is killer. My eyes are what reels the hotties in Barton.” 

Clint throws his head back and lets out a deep laugh. “I’ll have to keep that in mind the next time a hot guy pouts at me in a bar.” Clint slaps Bucky on the back. “Are you sure you’re okay? I would stay and chat longer but I’ve got a meeting in five.”

“Shit.” Bucky’s eyes widen. “Me too, thanks for reminding me!” Bucky darts out of the conference room, and heads to his first appointment of the day. 

>>>

Running back into the office about three minutes before the presentation, he caught sight of the new hires filing into the conference room. Most looked smug and confident about being there. They had made it this far after all. However, the last man walking into the conference room looked extremely nervous. He was trying to push his tortoiseshell glasses higher on his nose and re-tuck in his shirt at the same time. In doing so, he almost tripped and fell face first into the carpet. He caught himself last minute and quickly straightened, looking around to see if anyone noticed his clumsiness. He caught Bucky’s eye and instantly turned bright red. Bucky smiled and winked at the man, bringing up a finger to his lips as if to say _I won’t tell anyone, promise_. The man blushed a little harder but smiled in return for the implied silence on his first day. He turned around and headed into the conference room, taking a seat in the last row. 

Bucky’s normal, routine day was about to become extraordinary. 

Walking back to his office, Bucky chastised himself for winking at a new associate. He simply didn’t do things like that! _What the hell am I doing_ , he thought. _You can’t just go around winking at new hires Barnes! It’s extremely inappropriate and unprofessional. Plus, no one here knows that you prefer the company of men. Just take a deep breath, pull yourself together, and walk into that conference room with your head held high_. Bucky took off his coat, ran his hands through his hair, and took a long, deep breath. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples for a few seconds, hoping to erase the memory of the extremely flustered man from his mind. Instead, he went right back to thinking about him. How soft his hair looked, how his eyes were a piercing light blue that could fill the skies and the oceans at the same time. The man looked to be quite muscular, but also seemed to downplay this fact with a suit jacket that was larger than necessary. His cheeks held the perfect blush as he realized his clumsy moment was being watched, and a deeper scarlet formed when Bucky had winked. Bucky groaned when he realized he had grown a little hard at his developing thoughts. 

Bucky’s eyes went wide when he realized—he hadn’t been turned on since Tony left. _And my dick picks now to come out of hiding… great,_ he thought to himself. He would have to deal with these feelings later. Right now, he had baby associates to inspire (and impress). He quickly reached down and adjusted himself so he wouldn’t scare off the kids. Walking back to the conference room he took another deep breath before entering. Opening the door, his secretary announced him to the room and all eyes fell upon him. 

“Please welcome to the floor, one of our senior assurance partners: Mr. James Buchanan Barnes,” cooed Carol. 

He sauntered to the front and launched into his speech, making sure to catch the eye of everyone in the room. He saved the beautiful man in the back for last, and as he finished his speech their eyes connected. The man blushed slightly with a look of awe and admiration filling his eyes. While the majority of the occupants in the room looked like they wanted to conquer the world (starting with this firm), the man in the back looked as though he was trying to settle in and make a home here. Bucky instantly smiled, a genuine toothy smile that lit up his whole face. 

“Welcome to the team everyone. Glad to have you on board,” Bucky finishes.


	2. Flirting & Seduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sexual tension is real y'all.

_~Steve’s POV~_

Steve had been at his new job for a total of five hours. And it only took four hours, fifty-five minutes, and ten seconds for him to start falling for his boss. 

Steve Rogers was a simple man. Well, he liked to think so. He prided himself on staying focused in tense situations, prevailing where others couldn’t. He was also a logical man that took comfort in the form of numbers and adorable cats (he had his own British Shorthair at home named Natasha). What Steve hadn’t been was a man to lose his mind over a simple wink. And yet, here he was. 

Steve was told to report in at 9:00am this morning for training as a new tax associate at Fury & Coulson LLC. The day had started out like any other. A thunderstorm had lulled him into a deep and peaceful sleep and he had awoken feeling refreshed and ready to go. He made himself a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes before taking a long shower and leaving some catnip for Natasha as he dashed off to work. Steve even managed to keep a smile on his face as he sat in thirty minutes of traffic trying to commute downtown. 

Then he reached work. His training group mostly consisted of other audit associates, all rude and talking over one another. There was one other tax geek in the group, but Bruce seemed perfectly content to ignore everyone and dabble on his laptop for most of the morning. A few hours into the day and Steve was already trailing behind everyone else as they toured the office, avoiding any association with the crude comments being made from his fellow trainees. His day seemed to be slowly going down the toilet. Steve glanced down at the printed itinerary they were given that morning and read off _Meeting a Partner: James Barnes at 2pm_. He quickly leaned over to Bruce and whispered, “Who’s James Barnes?” 

Steve clearly hadn’t mastered the art of whispering though, because one of the audit associates in the group—Maria maybe—whipped her head around and practically screeched, “You don’t know who James Barnes is? He’s the **best** partner at this firm. Definitely the hottest as well.” Maria emitted a dreamy sigh seemingly thinking about this mystery partner. 

“Oh, sorry. Guess I didn’t do enough research before I came in today,” Steve mumbled to himself. It was clear no one was listening to him though as they all filed into the conference room before the partner meeting. _Hmm, a hot male partner? Good thing he’s not tax,_ thought Steve quickly. Otherwise he was sure to be doomed with a dead-end crush.  


Steve went to stretch his arms over his head before heading into the conference room, and in doing so managed to un-tuck his shirt in the back. Sighing impatiently, he tried to tuck the shirt back in and fix his glasses simultaneously. All of a sudden, Steve felt his foot catch on a tear in the carpet and pitched forward face-first. Terrified of making a bigger fool of himself, he managed to quickly halt his momentum and stand up straight. He frantically searched the room, praying that no one had seen his clumsy moment. Turning slightly to his left, Steve spotted the most stunning man he had ever seen staring directly at him. The man seemed to be about two inches taller than Steve, with dark brown hair and piercing eyes. If there was ever someone that fit the description of tall, dark and handsome, this man was it. 

The man’s lips curved into a smile and his eyes twinkled with the slightest hint of mirth peeking out. He raised a finger to his lips, indicating a cone of silence surrounding Steve’s clumsiness. Then, the man winked. HE FUCKING WINKED. Steve knew that he was turning ten different shades of red, but somehow managed his own smile in return for the silence. He glanced down at his shoes to break the intensity of the moment and when he looked back up, the man was gone. Steve huffed a bit in annoyance but reluctantly filed into the conference room, taking a seat in the last row. _Fuck,_ Steve thought. If he closed his eyes now, all he could see was the blinding beauty of the winking man. _I’m so screwed._

Taking a deep breath, Steve tried to focus on his surroundings. He couldn’t let this get in the way of his career. So what if the man was the most beautiful specimen he’d ever laid eyes on? He would just have to find a desk as far away from the man as possible, hunker down and mind his own business. As Steve tried to settle his racing thoughts, he couldn’t help but wonder what the man had thought of him. He glanced down at his suit. _Well, it’s not half bad. Still, I could’ve made a better first impression._ Steve’s eyes travelled a bit further down his body when he realized—his rather large erection was starting to create a tent in his pants. _Fuck,_ Steve thought as his eyes widened and he tried to casually position himself so no one would notice anything. 

However, it seemed that not everyone in the group was consistently ignoring Steve like he thought. Bruce cleared his throat and turned to Steve. “Are you alright Steve? You haven’t stopped fidgeting since you sat down.” Bruce looked down to where Steve was precariously holding his hands and his eyes widened. “Oh, geez man. You picked the wrong time to get a hard-on.” Bruce chuckled to himself. 

Steve started to flush, furious with his nerves for letting any emotion show. “It wasn’t on purpose…” he sighed. Realizing that Bruce was finally talking to him, Steve’s tone turned snarky. “And why did you choose this moment to try and carry on a conversation with me? We’ve had all morning to talk. You seemed more interested in you laptop.” Steve snapped, starting to get frustrated with Bruce for chiming in. 

Bruce took a long breath and let it out slowly. “I know, I’m sorry about that. Honestly, I get stuck in my own thoughts really easily and I’m not good at meeting new people. Especially when those people are extremely self-absorbed.” Bruce slowly scanned his eyes around the room, pointing out every single other member of their training group except Steve.

Steve laughed, feeling the tension ease from his shoulders. “I know how you feel. And I definitely have to agree with the self-absorption bit.” He nudged Bruce with his shoulder. “And thank god we don’t have to work with that one specifically.” He pointed to Maria with his eyes. Both guys shared a pointed look and burst out laughing. Steve stuck out his hand to Bruce who took it as they firmly shook hands. “I’m Steve by the way, Steve Rogers. I’m not sure I formally introduced myself earlier.”

Bruce gave him a small smile in return. “I’m Bruce. Bruce Banner. Nice to meet you Steve.” Bruce let go of his hand and casually leaned in towards Steve. “Oh-and my advice for your little inconvenience?” Bruce’s eyes darted down to Steve’s groin and back. “I pick the scariest looking woman in the room and imagine what it would be like if she were coming on to me. In this case, I would choose her.” Bruce pointed to the front of the conference room towards a medium height blonde woman with sharp features and hard green eyes. 

Steve grimaced as he took in the sight of her. Whoever she was, she was not someone you wanted to mess with. He instantly felt his cock soften at the prospect of her trying to intimately touch him. Steve snorted. “Wow, I can’t believe that worked. And so quickly!” 

“It’s a lifesaver, honestly.” Bruce leaned back in his chair a bit. “I came up with it going through puberty. At that point, pretty much anything turned me on. It was horrible.” He shuddered a bit, seeming to remember a particularly awkward moment of his youth. 

“Sounds like you’ve got your own fair share of embarrassing and awkward moments. As you can see,” Steve gestured to his groin, “I deal with both of those occurrences on a daily basis. This being the more awkward situation and the fact that I nearly face-planted about two minutes ago the more embarrassing situation.” Steve’s eyes brightened as Bruce laughed along with him. _Maybe today isn’t turning out so bad after all,_ Steve realized. 

Before either of them could say anything more, the intimidating woman at the front cleared her throat. “Alright everyone, quiet down. We’re going to start the session now.” She made sure to glare at everyone in the room, but her eyes seemed to linger on Steve a bit longer than necessary. 

He widened his eyes once she finally moved on to the next victim, and shot a look at Bruce out of the corner of his eye. Bruce looked back as if to say, _she’s got it out for you. Better watch out._

Steve gulped as she started to speak again, addressing the whole room. “My name is Carol Danvers. I’m the head administrative assistant to the top assurance partner at the firm: Mr. Barnes. I hope to get to know you all better as you settle in to the firm.” She smiled, but it seemed as though she was forcing any real emotion. 

Suddenly, she glanced towards the conference room doors and her face lit up like the Fourth of July. “Please welcome to the floor, one of our senior assurance partners: Mr. James Buchanan Barnes!” She practically cooed as the stunningly handsome man from before strode into the room and started speaking.

Steve couldn’t keep his eyes off of James as he spoke, hanging on to every word and gesture. There was such beauty in the way he spoke, carefully choosing his words to make a point. Realizing that he might not get an opportunity as good as this again, Steve started to rake his eyes up and down James’ body. The man was lithe compared to his own bulky frame, but still extremely fit. His biceps were defined and strong, leading down to what looked like large and calloused hands. James turned to the side as he addressed the other side of the room. Steve’s eyes instantly went to his ass, noticing how firm it was. It was almost begging to be grabbed in Steve’s opinion. 

He ducked his head in shame as a slight blush crept up his cheeks for such indecent thoughts. _What am I doing?_ He internally screamed at himself. _If my mother were here, she would tell me to wash my mouth out with soap._ Steve sighed quietly. _I really just need to get laid, and fast._

Steve could tell the speech was coming to a close, and raised his head to catch the ending. As he looked back up, James made eye contact with him and Steve’s heart started to hammer. Another blush cascaded over his face, but Steve ignored it as he smiled towards the beautiful man and basked in the glow of the prolonged eye contact.

“Welcome to the team everyone. Glad to have you on board,” finished James. Immediately everyone broke into applause, and a few eager audit staff got up to shake his hand. People were buzzing after the speech, discussing their favorite parts and sharing quotes. Some were even bold enough to whisper their appreciation for James’ good looks. At the same time Steve was glad he wasn’t the only one that found him attractive, his shoulders started to slump. _Why would a guy like that ever go for a dork like me?_ He thought to himself. While he didn’t see a wedding ring on any of his fingers, Steve assured himself that this man already had a beautiful girlfriend tucked away somewhere. He sighed in defeat.

“Steve, we should go introduce ourselves.” Bruce exclaimed as he got out of his chair. “I know he’s not in our department but damn, that was one hell of a speech.” Bruce’s eyes glittered with admiration. 

Practically dragging Steve to the front of the room, Bruce stuck out his hand to James. “Hi Mr. Barnes, I’m Bruce Banner. I know that we probably won’t ever work together because I’m in tax, but I just have to say how incredible that speech was. Truly inspirational.” James took his hand in return and shook it firmly. 

“Thank you, it’s always nice to hear my advice is appreciated.” He smiled at Bruce. Then, his eyes panned over to Steve. “And who’s your friend?” James offered up his hand and Steve almost froze in place. He quickly caught himself and raised his hand in return. 

“I’m Steve sir, Steve Rogers. I’m also in tax with Bruce.” He grinned shyly and tried to hide the way his heart leapt out of his chest at the touch of James’ hand. He wasn’t sure if he imagined it, but it felt like a spark erupted as their hands met for the first time. James seemed to suck in a breath as he released Steve’s hand. 

“Glad to meet you. However, since you won’t be working for me you can both go ahead and call me Bucky. Everyone else around here does.” He chuckled to himself. 

Before he could disappear back into the crowd, someone else pulled Bruce into a conversation, leaving Steve and Bucky alone to chat. Steve slowly gulped, unsure of what to say. Bucky took the opportunity to step forward a bit, edging into Steve’s personal space. “So, have you always been clumsy? Or was that on account of me?” Bucky’s voiced lowered a few notches and almost purred as he asked the question. Steve’s eyes widened dramatically and he started to stutter. 

“Well, I-I, uh…” Steve’s nerves shot through the roof as he tried to get a handle on what Bucky was asking him. _Is he flirting with me??_ Steve thought. _He can’t be… Can he?_ Running all the possibilities through his head, he decided it wouldn’t hurt to try and flirt back. 

Steve took a deep breath and bit his lip in order to give himself more time to formulate a proper response. Bucky’s breathing hitched. “Well, you see, I’m known to be clumsy here and there. And even though you didn’t contribute to this fall, I’m sure you’ll cause another one later on.” Steve’s mouth curled at the corner, trying his damndest to flirt back. He stared longingly into Bucky’s eyes and could’ve sworn he noted Bucky’s pupils dilating. 

Bucky smiled in return, stepping another inch closer to Steve. “You can count on that Rogers.” Luckily, before Steve ripped Bucky into his arms and tried to kiss the man, someone else called out Bucky’s name. Bucky quickly glanced away before looking back at Steve. “I’m sure I’ll see you around Steve. Don’t be a stranger.” He lightly patted Steve on the arm as he walked away, managing to get in a light squeeze of his bicep as his hand trailed down to Steve’s fingertips. 

Steve was left nearly panting and, again, trying to hide his little inconvenience from the rest of the room. He really needed to pull himself together. 

>>>

Later that day, Steve was assigned his own cubicle. Considering it was right next to Bruce and close to the kitchens as well, Steve considered himself lucky. Just as he started planning out how he would make the cubicle homier, his new boss stepped in to introduce himself. 

“Hey man, how’s it going? I’m Clint Barton, and I’ll be working with you for the foreseeable future.” Clint stepped up to shake Steve’s hand as Steve rose from his chair. 

“I’m Steve Rogers, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m looking forward to working with you and helping out in any way I can.” Steve flashed a smile and recognition dawned on Clint’s face. 

“Oh, so you’re the infamous Steve I heard about from Barnes!” Clint exclaimed lightly, as if it was no big deal to already know the name of his new associate. 

Steve’s eyes widened and he stuttered a bit in his response. “S-Sir? Mr. Barnes spoke about me to you?” His thoughts were racing a mile a minute, trying to figure out what Bucky could have possibly said to Clint to deem him “infamous.” 

Clint returned Steve’s uncertainty with an easy smile. “I was asking him earlier how the speech went, and he mentioned that he met a man named Steve that seemed quite intriguing. You’re obviously that same man, are you not?”

Steve laughed shakily. “To my knowledge I’m the only Steve working here, so yes that would be me.” He cleared his throat in order to shake off some of the nervousness. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did he find intriguing about me sir?” 

Clint paused for a moment, opening and shutting his mouth on two different instances. “Well…if you don’t mind, we’ll leave that conversation for another day.” Clint slapped Steve on the back and smiled at him reassuringly. “For now I’ll just say that you managed to make a good impression on him.” Clint glanced down to check his watch. “Look at that, it’s already five o’clock. Since it’s your first day, you can go ahead and head home. I’ll help you get started tomorrow morning.”

Before Steve could pester Clint with more questions about Bucky, he quickly exited the cubicle, leaving Steve alone with his thoughts. 

All of a sudden a light ding interrupted Steve’s thoughts, and he swiveled around to face the computer screen. A box was flashing in the middle of the screen reading: **Accept Gchat with Bucky Barnes?** Steve instantly clicked accept, leaving himself no time to overanalyze the situation. 

A chat screen replaced the flashing box and Steve could see that Bucky was already typing.

_Bucky Barnes:_ So, did you have any more clumsy moments today? Or was it just that one?

_Steve Rogers:_ No, it was just that one thankfully. ☺

_Bucky Barnes:_ Good, glad to hear it. We wouldn’t want you scratching up that pretty face of yours. 

_Bucky Barnes:_ ☺

_Bucky Barnes:_ What time do you have to be at your desk tomorrow?

_Steve Rogers:_ Not sure, Clint didn’t give me a specific time. Why?

_Bucky Barnes:_ I was thinking we should grab coffee tomorrow morning at the place around the corner. I think it’s called Coffee for Two. Say 8am?

_Steve Rogers:_ Sounds perfect. I’ll be the guy trying not to trip over his own two feet. ☺

_Bucky Barnes:_ I’ll be the guy buying your coffee. See you then. ☺ 

Steve logged out of the chat and turned off his computer. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his breathing. A grin slowly took over his entire face, lighting up his eyes and causing a quick giggle to leave his lips. He had a date with Bucky Barnes tomorrow. Morning couldn’t come quick enough.


	3. Coffee & Muffins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Finals took a lot more of my time than I thought they would. 
> 
> Also, the smut is coming up next. Be ready.

_~Bucky’s POV~_

There were many things that Bucky Barnes didn’t do. He didn’t hit on men more than five years younger than himself. He didn’t ask a guy out less than twenty-four hours after meeting them. And he most certainly didn’t ask out coworkers. But where Steve was concerned, all those seemingly concrete rules he had established went flying out the window. 

Bucky’s hands ran through his hair, raking back all the strands that had fallen towards his face. Touching his hair was a nervous habit—and he was definitely nervous. He still couldn’t believe that he had asked Steve out. And yet here he was, sitting in the coffee shop a full thirty minutes before their date. 

Bucky was supposed to be the confident one here. He had more influence at work than Steve, he made more money, and he probably had more experience dating than Steve did as well. The last one was just a guess though. _Just because he’s ten years younger than I am doesn’t mean he’s innocent,_ Bucky thought. Although, the idea of Steve being innocent was certainly intriguing. He could feel himself harden just a bit as he adjusted in his seat. He signed agitatedly. Since when had innocence been a turn on for him? He’d always been drawn to men that were experienced and more confident than others. A mumbling, bumbling tax geek didn’t seem to fall into that category. 

He thought back to the previous day when Bruce and Steve had approached him in the conference room following his speech. While Steve had seemed incredibly nervous, there was something about the man that still drew Bucky towards him. Before he could control himself, he had taken a step closer than usual. He had been able to share the same space as Steve and even catch a whiff of his scent. He smelled like rain and some sort of peppermint soap. Even now it seemed Bucky could still conjure the exact scent in his mind. That was until he heard a low throat clearing and opened his eyes to see Steve standing in front of him.

Bucky hadn’t even realized his eyes had closed he was so deep in thought. He quickly stood to level himself with the younger man. “Steve! I didn’t expect to see you here so early.” Bucky found himself to be breathless as he took in Steve’s appearance. He was wearing a checkered button up shirt that matched the bright blue of his eyes. The look was finished with grey dress pants and his polished tortoiseshell glasses. He almost whistled in appreciation, but managed to restrain himself at the last minute. 

Steve lightly chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to be here so early either. I always show up early for dates—nervous habit I suppose. But I guess my twenty minutes didn’t cut it today.” 

“Apparently I’m a bit nervous as well. I’ve never shown up this early for a date before. But then again, I’ve never been on a date with someone as cute as you.” Bucky shamelessly flirted with Steve wanting to see his reaction. Sure enough, a slow blush crept up Steve’s neck and onto his cheeks. His mouth curved into a smile as he rubbed at his neck. In doing so the checkered shirt tightened around his rather large arm showing off his triceps perfectly. Bucky bit his lip to suppress a slight moan. He tried to quickly recover with a question.

“Anyways, can I get you some coffee then? I did promise to buy you one.” He glanced towards the counter where a small line had formed as they started talking. 

“Oh, sure. I’ll take a grande hazelnut latte, please.” Steve tucked his hands into his pockets.

“No problem, coming right up. I’ll get us some muffins too. Do you like blueberry?” Bucky asked Steve as he retrieved his wallet from his back left pocket. 

“It’s my favorite kind,” Steve replied, sitting in the chair opposite of Bucky’s. Bucky smiled in return.

“Mine too.” He turned and headed towards the counter, falling in line behind various others. Bucky could feel Steve’s eyes lingering on his ass as he waited. He had made sure to wear a tighter than usual pair of pants this morning, hoping to illicit some sort of reaction from his date. As he subtly turned his head in Steve’s direction, he could just make out a lip bite from his peripheral vision. Bucky smirked to himself. _That’s more like it._

Heading back to the table a few minutes later with Steve’s latte, his own black coffee with cream only, and some blueberry muffins, Bucky launched into his usual first date banter. He handed Steve his beverage, making sure to brush their fingers together. As their fingertips met, a surge of warmth invaded Bucky’s hand causing the rest of his body to tingle. Both men blushed at the contact, and Bucky made sure to smile at Steve in a reassuring manner. 

Steve shook his head to clear his wandering mind. “I’m sorry, what was your question again?” Steve gripped his coffee firmly and took a long sip in trying to hide his embarrassment for forgetting the question so easily. 

Bucky grinned and repeated his question. “I just asked you to tell me about yourself. Maybe some interesting memories from your childhood?” Bucky always loved hearing about other people’s families, as he didn’t really have one of his own. He picked up one of the blueberry muffins, settling further into the chair as Steve started to speak. 

“Well, I was raised in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina. In fact I’ve pretty much lived in the state all my life until I took a job here. I’m an only child, and my father passed away about two years ago. My mom and I are really close as a result of that.” Steve paused, seeming to choose his next words carefully. “Honestly when I was younger I got picked on a lot. I was a skinny little nerd, playing teacher’s pet and participating in chess club. I also got really into cooking towards the end of elementary school.” He sighed, a brief look of dejection crossing over his face. “I guess I was the perfect target for all the bullies. I went home with a lot of black eyes, busted lips and cracked ribs because I always tried to stand up for myself. But I was just too small to fight back.”

A look of worry and anger flashed over Bucky’s face, trying to picture a small and helpless Steve getting beat up for being himself. He looked into Steve’s eyes, reaching over to gently hold his hand. “Is that why you’re so big now?”

Steve gulped as Bucky took his hand, running slow circular patterns over his palm. “I guess so. One day I realized I couldn’t take it anymore. My best friend Sam had always suggested that I bulk up simply to scare the bullies away from me. I hit a growth spurt early on in middle school and the more I worked out, the more everyone left me alone.” He shrugged, seeming indifferent towards his childhood trauma. “Now it’s just a habit more than anything. I’ve gotten really into kickboxing as of lately.” 

As the tense moment faded, the conversation seemed to flow from there. The topics ranged from their workout regiments, what schools they attended, favorite foods, all the way to friends. Bucky had just gotten done describing the results of his college archery finals and therefore the birth of his friendship with Clint when Steve finally plucked up the courage to ask another question.

“So, do you have any exes in the office I should know about?” Bucky raised an eyebrow, realizing this was Steve’s way of asking about past relationships. 

“Truth be told I’ve never dated anyone from the office. I usually make it a rule not to.” He glanced up and down Steve’s body in a sultry manner. “But that doesn’t apply to you apparently.” He smirked at Steve’s resulting intake of breath. Taking on a more serious tone, Bucky laced his fingers together in his lap. “I’ve dated a few men here and there. My last boyfriend was the most serious though. Our relationship ended a few months ago.”

Steve watched Bucky closely, wondering why in the world anyone would ever want to end an intimate relationship with this beautiful man. He lightly cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?”

Bucky paused, trying to decide the best way to phrase the breakup. “Essentially Tony wanted to tell everyone that we were together. He would’ve shouted it to the heavens if I let him.” He chuckled, a sad look taking over his face. “I on the other hand wanted to keep our relationship more private. I tend to be a more private person and I just wasn’t comfortable in telling that many others. As a result, he ended it.” 

Now it was Bucky’s turn to be comforted. Steve reached out and slowly intertwined their hands together across the table. “I’m sorry that happened to you Bucky. For what it’s worth, I think Tony was an idiot to give you up.”

Just hearing Steve say that made Bucky blush a deep red. He squeezed Steve’s hand. “It’s worth a lot more than you know. Thank you, Steve.” Bucky started to draw different shapes on the back of Steve’s hand as he asked a question in return. 

“Now it’s your turn. What about your past relationships?” Steve looked at their hands, perfectly twined together with Bucky caressing his palm. 

“I haven’t been in any truly serious relationships to be frank. I’ve dated a few people here and there, but nothing more than a few months. Schoolwork took up most of my time during college, and this is the first date I’ve been on in about a year.” Steve started to caress Bucky’s hand in return.

Bucky paused, processing Steve’s answer. “People? You’ve dated people?” Bucky implied what he wanted to know, and Steve quickly caught on. 

“Oh, yeah. I should probably be up front with you about my sexuality. I’m bisexual. I’ve dated both men and women.” He shrugged his shoulders, adding a boost of confidence to his next statement. “Up until this point I’ve found both men and women equally intriguing. It seems you’re tipping the scale though.” Steve gave Bucky a cheeky grin as Bucky gasped a little. 

Bucky licked his lips, eyes darkening as he squeezed Steve’s hand a bit tighter. “Good to know. I intend to keep tipping the scale my way if you’ll let me.” Bucky gave Steve a quick wink, causing Steve’s grin to widen and breathing to hitch. 

Bucky was quite enjoying the flirty banter they had eased into, but knew it had to come to an end. He glanced down at his watch, realizing they had been talking for the last hour. 

He let out an aggravated sigh, detaching his hand from Steve’s. “It’s already 8:30. We should probably head over to the office.” He watched as Steve started to crumple up his muffin wrapper and grabbed both their empty coffee cups to throw away. “We wouldn’t want Clint to think you’re slacking off.”

Bucky’s eyes turned devious and Steve glanced over his shoulder. “Well, now that I know you two are such good friends, he’ll probably believe me when I say it’s your fault we’re late.” Steve smirked at his own quick reply, hoping to continue the witty banter and occasional flirting all the way to the office. 

Bucky chuckled, and stood up to grab his briefcase and umbrella from the ground. It had managed to start raining again while they were in the coffee shop. He looked over as Steve slung his messenger bag onto his shoulder. “Although I guess I’ll have to run. I forgot my umbrella in the car.” Steve worriedly glanced outside, realizing he was going to be soaked in the five minutes he would be outside. 

Bucky smiled and walked over to Steve, placing a hand on his arm. “Good thing my umbrella is big enough to share then.” He grabbed Steve’s hand as they walked outside, pressing the button to open up the large umbrella. Steve smiled shyly as they slowly walked hand-in-hand down the street under the cover of Bucky’s grey umbrella. 

However, as they got closer to the doors, Bucky dropped Steve’s hand. He locked eyes with Steve. “Remember how I told you I’m a private person?” Steve nodded in assent. “Well, if you don’t mind, I would like to keep the fact that we’re dating to ourselves. Clint can know, but I would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone at work. Is that okay?” Bucky watched Steve’s eyes closely for a look of disapproval, waiting for the beautiful bubble they had created to pop and fizzle away. 

Instead, a look of understanding flooded Steve’s eyes as he smiled at Bucky. “Of course, I understand. I’m perfectly fine with that. I don’t really have anyone to tell anyways. I’m not close enough with Bruce to talk about stuff like this.” Steve smiled reassuringly, making Bucky’s heart soar. 

“Looks like we’re off to a great start then.” Bucky grinned widely. He opened the door of the building, walking off to the side to shake off his umbrella. Steve kept walking towards the elevators as if this were just a normal day of work. As if he hadn’t just been holding hands with Bucky Barnes. Soon Bucky was standing behind Steve, waiting for the elevator. With a stroke of luck, they managed to get the elevator all to themselves. 

Sticking his hands in his pockets and toeing the ground nervously, Steve finally looked up to find Bucky watching him amusingly. Steve blushed. Then it all spilled out at once. “Wouldyouliketohavedinnerwithmetonight?” Steve sputtered out too quickly, garbling some of the words. 

“I’m sorry, didn’t quite catch that. What did you ask, Steve?” Bucky smiled knowingly, wanting to hear the question asked again. 

Steve gaped for a second before taking a deep breath. “Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? I’ll cook for you.” Steve held his breath, waiting for the answer.

Bucky’s mouth slowly turned up into a huge smile, lighting up his face beautifully. “Of course I would. Besides, how could I resist a home-cooked meal?” He chuckled and watched as Steve finally let out a slow breath. Bucky glanced at the numbers on the elevator monitor, noticing they only had about thirty seconds left. Thank god these elevators were notoriously slow. 

“Just make sure to message me your address and I’ll meet you at your apartment around 7pm. Sound good?” Steve quickly bobbed his head, indicating that it worked for him. Before the elevator doors opened, Bucky turned to Steve. “Oh, and Steve?”

“Yeah?” Steve replied, grinning like a madman. 

Bucky quickly stepped forward, closing the gap between the two. He cupped Steve’s face in his right hand, threading his left hand into Steve’s hair. Their lips came together, and electricity seemed to zing from Bucky to Steve and finally exploded in the atmosphere. The kiss was sweet and slow, perfect for the first time. They both tasted of blueberries, and Steve groaned as Bucky lightly licked at the bottom of Steve’s lip. But before Steve knew what was happening, Bucky pulled back and pecked him on the nose. 

“Have a good day.” Bucky bit his lip and smirked as the elevator doors dinged open. He turned and strode out of the elevator, leaving a gasping Steve aching for more. This was turning out to be one hell of a day.


	4. Ribs & Whipped Cream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hot damn... this past month has flown by. I am so sorry it took so long! I got all discombobulated when I went home for break and didn't have any structure in my schedule. Anyways, this chapter is twice as long as the others AND has smut so I hope that helps :D

_~Steve’s POV (well, kind of)~_

Steve quickly adjusted himself as he stepped out of the elevator. It seemed he had been doing a lot of adjusting lately. He walked to the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror, looking at his appearance. His hair was a mussed-up mess, lips puffy, and cock hard. All from the slowest and sweetest kiss he had ever had. Steve brought his hand up to his lips, still feeling the fire lingering there. Then his eyes widened as he realized, he had another date with Bucky. Tonight.

Walking to his desk, he instantly logged on and started searching through Pinterest. He told Bucky he loved to cook, so he needed to find the perfect recipe. If only he had thought to ask Bucky what he liked…

As soon as he was ten recipes deep, Clint popped into Steve’s cubicle. “Showing up a bit late for your second day at work, aren’t you?” Steve swiveled in his chair to face Clint, blushing in embarrassment. Clint glanced behind Steve at the computer screen. “And looking at social media, really Steve?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Now I know Barnes seems to like you, but that doesn’t give you a free pass to do whatever you like all of a sudden.”

Steve hung his head in shame. He had become too overwhelmed with pleasing Bucky that he had neglected his job. He raised his head to look at Clint, only to catch the man smirking in return. “Why are you smiling?” Steve asked. But before Clint could reply, Steve blurted his next statement. “I’m so sorry that I came in late and didn’t come find you. Please don’t fire me!” Tears started welling up at the corner of Steve’s eyes. He bit his lip to hold back the emotion from pouring out in front of his new boss. 

Clint started to laugh, gripping his sides as the laughing got more intense. “Ahh I’m sorry man! I didn’t mean to freak you out that much.” Clint managed to stand up straight and look at Steve. “I know you were with Bucky and that he made you late. He came over and told me a few minutes ago. I’ve just never gotten the chance to mess with any of the guys my best friend has dated. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.” Clint walked towards Steve and gripped his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Steve rubbed at his eyes and let out a shaky laugh. “I can’t believe I fell for that one.” He snorted. “You really had me for a minute there, sir.” He cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of the embarrassment and worry. “But I promise it won’t happen again. You were right when you said Bucky is no excuse for a free pass. I take my work seriously, and I apologize for letting my emotions cloud my judgment.”

Clint looked down at Steve, finding a new sense of respect for the young associate. “I really appreciate you saying that Steve. I can tell you’re going to do well here. Especially if I work with you and whip you into shape.” Both men laughed, glad to have the emotional moment behind them. “Now let’s get to work.”

Clint spent most of the day in Steve’s cubicle, helping him get familiar with the different tax software programs he needed to use. By 4pm Steve had managed to navigate his way through all five programs, and was slowly working his way through a tax return on his own. Steve had barely managed to get a message to Bucky with the address for his apartment as Clint had barely left his side. Not that he was complaining—Clint was an amazing boss. He took his time explaining how to do something, he didn’t get frustrated when Steve asked a million questions, and had a great sense of humor. Steve understood why Clint was Bucky’s best friend. 

After Clint made another joke at Bucky’s expense, Steve finally got up the nerve to ask Clint a question. “Hey Clint? Do you mind if I ask you something about Bucky?” Steve glanced away from the computer screen with a hopeful look in his eye.

Clint paused for a moment. “Depends on what the question is kid. Shoot.”

Steve took a deep breath. “Do you happen to know what Bucky’s favorite food is?”

Clint looked up from the paperwork he was holding, astonished at what he had been asked. He had expected something a little more ridiculous or even personal. However he smiled, as this was something he was glad to share with Steve. “Well Bucky’s never really admitted it to me, but I know he’s a huge fan of ribs. It bothers him how messy they are, but I know he loves them. He ends up getting them at our favorite barbecue place every two weeks or so.” 

Steve’s eyes lit up. He could definitely make some ribs. That was, if he left now and started preparing as soon as possible. He checked the computer screen for the time, realizing it was just after four. He looked back at Clint, opening his mouth to ask for a favor when Clint stood up. 

“Go ahead and get out of here kid. I know you came in a bit late, but you worked your ass off today. You deserve a break.” Clint slapped Steve on the back and winked at him. “Plus I know you have a date you need to prepare for.”

Steve’s eyes widened, trying not to allow himself to blush. He wasn’t sure it was working. “I-I…a date? I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” He tried to lie, but could tell that Clint saw straight through him.

“Go on, have fun tonight. Just make sure you’re here tomorrow morning at 8am sharp.” Clint walked out of the cubicle, leaving Steve blanching in shock. _I really do have the best fucking boss in the world,_ he thought. After cleaning up his desk as fast as humanly possible, Steve darted out of the office and to his car. He needed to get to the grocery store, and fast. 

>>>

Steve managed to make it back to his apartment around 5pm, leaving him two hours to prepare a meal. As he was pulling together the ingredients for the ribs, Natasha jumped on the counter and started rubbing against Steve’s arm. She loudly meowed, reminding him it was her dinnertime. 

“Shoot, I’m sorry Nat. Let me feed you real quick.” Steve went into the pantry and grabbed a can of Fancy Feast along with a handful of dry food. He scooped her food into the dish and placed it on the ground next to her water bowl. Steve gave her ears a quick scratch and left her to it while he worked on dinner. 

“I know we don’t usually have guests over Nat, but we’re having one tonight.” Steve tended to converse with Natasha a lot more than he should, even though she was just a cat. Her presence was comforting, and sometimes he even thought she was actually listening to what he was saying. “Make sure you’re nice to him and don’t scratch him up.” He looked down at her, and she swished her tail in annoyance. Natasha never really followed his wishes, but he was hoping she might tonight. 

It was nearing seven o’clock, and dinner was almost ready. He was finishing up the ribs on his patio grill when he a heard a knock on the door. He placed the tongs on the empty serving platter and ran to the door. Thank god he had changed into something more comfortable when he got home—a hunter green v-neck and some comfy dark-wash jeans. He was barefoot, and wrapped in an apron that read “Kiss the Cook” across the torso. Steve fixed his hair and glasses quickly before opening the door wide, taking a look at the beautiful man standing on the other side. Bucky had also changed before coming over, and was wearing a dark purple Henley with a pair of light jeans and some Vans. Bucky held a six-pack of beer in his hand and he leaned against the doorframe. He smirked at Steve. 

“Am I supposed to take your apron seriously? Because I have no problem in doing so.” Steve flushed a bit, remembering what he was wearing and that Sam and gotten it as gag gift for his birthday last year. 

“It’s up to you really, the cook accepts all forms of praise given.” He smiled at Bucky, still not fully believing that this man was standing inside his apartment, about to eat dinner with him. Bucky stepped forward and ran his thumb over Steve’s jaw as the rest of his fingers found the back of his neck. Bucky’s thumb slowly went to trace Steve’s lips, and his breath caught in his throat. Bucky leaned forward, closing his eyes to take in the moment. Their lips brushed together slowly at first, enjoying the new feeling of warmth enveloping one another. 

Suddenly, Steve’s hand was on Bucky’s waist. He pulled Bucky closer, and licked as his bottom lip. Not expecting Steve to take the initiative, Bucky gasped and opened his mouth slightly in doing so. Steve immediately took advantage and let his tongue tangle with Bucky’s, making the man pant a bit. A few moments of bliss passed before Steve found himself pressed up against the wall in the entrance of his apartment. Realizing how quickly they were moving, Steve pulled back a little. He looked into Bucky’s eyes, grasping his shirt tightly and trying to slow his breathing. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get so carried away. I’ve just been waiting for that all day.” Steve blushed up at Bucky and slowly released his grip on the Henley. 

Bucky ran his hands through his hair, hoping that his jeans weren’t already showing his arousal from the kiss. “No, it’s fine. I’ve been waiting for more too. I did leave you hanging in the elevator this morning…” Bucky broke off, biting his lip and looking into Steve’s eyes. 

Steve sharply inhaled and felt his eyes widen in response. He was about to kiss Bucky again, stopping when he realized the golden opportunity he had been presented with. Steve was going to tease Bucky all night long. He wanted to see the man squirm a bit for the stunt he pulled in the elevator. He stepped away from Bucky, and took the beer from his hand. 

“I know. Don’t worry, I managed to recover.” He winked at the man, and strode over to put the beers in the fridge while he finished the ribs. _Shit, the ribs._ Steve darted out to the patio, opening the grill once more to check that the ribs weren’t burned from a lack of attention. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the ribs were perfectly cooked and ready to be taken off the grill. 

Bucky followed him out onto the small porch, breathing in the scent of the food. “Are those ribs I smell?” Bucky’s smile lit up his face, showing all his teeth and adding a sparkle to his eyes. “I love ribs! How did you know?” He cocked his head towards Steve.

Steve grinned at the question, and put his attention back on the ribs. “What would be the fun in telling you that? Let’s just say I’m great at guessing.” He smirked and carried the plate of ribs inside and set them on the counter. He reached towards the closed pot on the stove revealing brown sugar glazed carrots, and opened the oven to pull out some freshly baked hushpuppies. 

Bucky eyed the food in obvious delight, mouth watering slightly when he realized he never finished his lunch earlier today. Then he looked at Steve, taking in his relaxed appearance in the kitchen. Steve’s arm muscles flexed as he moved the side dishes to platters, and Bucky’s mouth watered even more. 

Something nudged Bucky’s leg, breaking his concentration and tearing his eyes away from Steve. He looked down to find a beautiful cat, now rubbing his right ankle and looking up at him with an evil glare. “Uhhh, Steve? Is this your cat looking at me like I’m a new scratching post?” Bucky tried to edge away from the cat, but she just followed him.

Steve glanced down and let out an exasperated sigh. “Natasha, I told you to be nice to our guest. Stop glaring at him.” Steve put his hands on his hips and looked at the cat while he spoke. She seemed to consider his words carefully, and swished her tail in aggravation. With a reluctant growl, she paced back towards the living room, around the corner and vanished behind a partially closed door. 

Bucky’s nerves eased slightly, but he still wasn’t a huge fan of cats. Steve chuckled as Bucky’s obvious discomfort. “Sorry about that. She’s not the friendliest towards any new people I bring back here. Not that it happens often.” He went back to arranging the food on the table for dinner, grabbing two beers out of the fridge. “Dinner is served.” Steve smiled at Bucky, motioning him over to the table set for two. There were even a few candles on the table, emitting a soft glow as Steve dimmed the lights a little. 

Bucky took his place opposite Steve and took hold of his beer. “A toast to our second date. I know we haven’t known each other for that long, but I’ve enjoyed every second of our time together. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I winked at you the other day.” To prove his point, Bucky winked again and clinked his bottle with Steve’s. Steve smiled earnestly and took a sip of his beer. 

Both men started to dig into the food, taking large amounts and piling their plates with the delicious meal. As Steve paused to wipe his mouth after finishing a rib, he locked eyes with Bucky. Time to bring the teasing to another level. “How is everything?” Steve asked, dropping his voice a notch in hopes to entice Bucky. Steve knew he had some sauce on his fingers, and took his time licking and sucking all the sauce off of each digit. 

Bucky stilled, mouth parted as he watched Steve cleaning off his fingers. Normally he would find something like that revolting, but somehow Steve managed to look incredibly sexy. So sexy in fact that Bucky had to restrain himself from getting up and helping Steve clean off his fingers. He cleared his throat and went back to eating, stabbing at the carrots with his fork. “Everything is incredible. The flavor of these ribs is outstanding, I’ve never had anything like it.” Bucky squirmed a bit as Steve finished licking his fingers. “One might even say they’re finger-licking good. How did you make them?” Bucky’s eyes darkened slightly at his reference towards Steve’s cleaning process. 

Steve snorted and then grinned having noticed the way Bucky reacted to the finger-licking show. “Well I won’t bore you with all the details, but it’s a mix of Asian cuisine and regular Southern barbecue. I blended some different sauces and spices together and let the meat marinate for a little while. If Clint hadn’t let me leave early, I wouldn’t have been able to finish the ribs in time for our date.” Steve reached forward to take another few ribs from the platter. “I’ll have to thank him tomorrow.”

“I’ll have to thank him as well, because this is probably the best home-cooked meal I’ve ever had.” Bucky started to re-fill his plate with seconds, eager to show Steve just how much he was enjoying the food. They both easily fell into conversation and talked about their days. When Bucky learned that Clint had almost made Steve cry, he got a bit upset. “What do you mean you almost cried?” Steve tried to reassure Bucky that it was just a joke and he deserved it, but Bucky wouldn’t have it. “I don’t care if it was a joke, that’s no excuse to tease you that much.” Bucky seethed a bit, suddenly feeling very protective of his Steve. His eyes widened at this train of thought, trying to think where along the way Steve had become his. Or had he really? He shook his head, trying to clear away the newfound thoughts that were stirring inside of him. 

Trying to steer the conversation back to solid ground, Steve got up. “Are you done? I was thinking we could make dessert together.” He smiled shyly at Bucky. Bucky looked up into Steve’s cornflower blue eyes and instantly melted. 

“Dessert sounds perfect. What are we making?” Bucky tried to help Steve clear the table, but was deterred when Steve swatted his hand away and balanced all the dishes in his arms. The muscles bulged and flexed under the weight of dishes making his arms taught.

As Steve walked back into the kitchen, he could’ve sworn he heard the slightest groan leave Bucky’s mouth. He grinned to himself, glad the teasing was working. “I bought all the ingredients for apple pie if you’re up to it.” He glanced over at Bucky, taking in his dilated eyes and seeing him run his hands through his hair.

“I haven’t had apple pie in years, but it’s one of my favorites. How do you seem to know these things?” Bucky was honestly in awe of Steve’s abilities to know his favorite foods. The man was simply perfect. As Steve went to retrieve some Tupperware from a lower drawer, he bent over and put his ass on full display for Bucky. Bucky took his time in oogling Steve, biting his lip as the jeans strained against his firm rear end. Steve was slowly pushing Bucky over the edge he realized, and wasn’t about to let the teasing be so one-sided. 

Steve was finishing up putting away the leftovers when Bucky opened the fridge, seeming to search for something. He smiled when he found his target and reached in to pull out a can of whipped cream. Looking over at Steve, he noticed the man was watching him. Steve flushed as Bucky drew closer with the blue can, popping off the top. “If you’re going to keep showing off the most delicious parts of your body, I’m never going to make it through pie.” Steve gulped, realizing his game was up. “How about we make something a little quicker?” There was a devious note to Bucky’s usually calm voice, and Steve shivered a little. 

“What did you have in mind?” His eyes locked with the blue and gray swirling eyes of Bucky Barnes, eyeing the can of whipped cream. Before he could protest, Bucky sprayed a thick stream of whipped cream onto Steve’s neck trailing from collarbone to jaw. 

“I was thinking I could have you for dessert instead.” Bucky grinned wolfishly and licked his lips at the prospect of devouring the whipped cream on Steve’s neck. Steve whimpered, loudly, and inched closer to Bucky while offering his neck to the older man. Bucky took his time—he wanted this moment to last forever. There was only one first time after all. Bucky laced his fingers through Steve’s hair and pulled his neck to his full lips. Starting at the collarbone, he nibbled and licked his way up Steve’s neck. The whipped cream was cold and sweet, while Steve was hot and tangy. His skin felt like silk under Bucky’s tongue. When Bucky reached the crook of Steve’s neck and jaw, he started to suck on his pulse point. He at least wanted to leave a small mark as a reminder than he had been there. 

Steve’s eyes rolled back into his head and he let out a soft moan. His grip tightened on Bucky’s bicep and waist, pulling the man closer. As soon as the whipped cream was gone, Steve pushed Bucky up against the kitchen counter and attacked his mouth with such passion that the dark-haired man bucked against him in response. Their tongues danced with one another, and Steve made sure to pull out some more advanced kissing moves. He slowly sucked on Bucky’s tongue while gently tugging his hair with one hand and palming his ass with the other. He wanted Bucky to know exactly how he felt. Bucky pulled back a little to catch his breath, and Steve took the opportunity to trail his mouth down Bucky’s neck.

“Holy fuck, Steve.” The man panted, letting out slight moans here and there as Steve continued to suck and bite his way around his neck. “I just can’t seem to get enough of you and that beautiful mouth. How far do you wa—OH!” Bucky was interrupted when Steve palmed his erection, pointedly pressing up against his jeans. “Jesus Christ don’t stop.” Steve continued to rub him through his jeans, pulling away from Bucky’s neck with a wild look in his eyes. The look was enough to make Bucky remember his question from a few minutes ago. “Steve, I need to know how far you want to take this tonight. I would never expect anything out of you, so you’re in charge of our limits.”

Steve grinned back a bit shyly before clearing his throat. His fingers gripped the bottom of Bucky’s Henley lightly as he looked into the man’s eyes. “I’m down to let the night progress naturally. I don’t think I have any boundaries tonight.” Bucky’s eyes lit up, and he almost growled in response. Before he could respond, Steve continued to talk. “All I know is that you’re wearing too much clothing for my taste.” Steve gripped Bucky’s shirt harder and ripped the Henley completely off his torso. He stepped back to take in the beautiful man that was Bucky Barnes. The man was in peak physical condition, with beautifully defined pecs, abs, and that enticing little V leading down to greener pastures. Bucky’s chest was speckled with dark hair, with a darker trail accentuating the V under his belly button. Steve licked his lips and smirked at the sight in front of him. He was going to make this man beg.

Steve ducked his head in towards his prize and started kissing his way slowly down Bucky’s chest. Every place that his lips vacated left a searing heat in their wake causing Bucky to whimper every few moments. Before Bucky could register what was happening, Steve was on his knees in the kitchen, looking up at him with such lust and adoration it made him shiver. 

“Is it okay if I take off everything else?” Steve asked Bucky. Bucky nodded mutely, too shocked to say anything. This shy and normally clumsy man was kneeling in front of him, asking to take his clothes off. Steve was in control and he fucking loved it. As Steve unhooked his belt and the jeans and boxers slid to the floor, Bucky’s cock sprung to attention, almost hitting Steve in the nose. While his length was slightly above average, his girth was impressive. Steve bit his lip in anticipation. Looking more closely, Steve could see a small bead of arousal resting at the head of Bucky’s cock. It looked like the man was all ready for him. Sensing a need of further support, Bucky leaned back a bit to grip the counter firmly in both hands so he wouldn’t instantly start fucking Steve’s mouth. 

Steve smirked up at Bucky, and leaned forward to start his assault of Bucky’s cock. He started by licking up the drop of precum while allowing his right hand to massage Bucky’s balls and his left to squeeze his firm ass. Bucky let out a strangled moan as his pupils continued to dilate. All Bucky could think was that Steve’s tongue was a godsend—an honest to god miracle. Steve gripped Bucky’s cock in his hand as he moved down to suck one of his balls into his mouth. He pumped his hand in sync with his sucking motions, but then released Bucky completely. Bucky whimpered in response, but soon Steve’s tongue was trailing from the base of Bucky’s cock all the way to the tip. He lingered to swirl the head around in his mouth before plunging down on his cock. Steve hollowed his cheeks and started vigorously sucking Bucky’s member while his tongue traced patterns simultaneously. 

Bucky let out a loud gasp and instantly threaded his fingers in Steve’s golden hair. Roughly pulling at the soft locks, Steve let out a moan muffled by Bucky’s cock. Bucky could feel the moan spread through his core and shivered violently. The sucking noises coming from Steve’s mouth were obscene, and a bit of drool was running down the side of his mouth. Steve didn’t care one bit though, because Bucky was making the most beautiful noises he had ever heard. The mewls and groans mixed in with the swear words and gasps. It was almost as though Steve was playing Bucky like a finely tuned instrument. 

“Steve—oh god baby please don’t stop.” Bucky grunted out this statement as Steve took Bucky further into his mouth. Steve’s lips lifted a bit in response to the impromptu pet name Bucky had given him. He’d always enjoyed being called baby or sweetheart. Bucky rutted forward unconsciously and he could feel when his cock hit the back of Steve’s throat. “Shit, I’m sorry.” Bucky nearly shouted, stopping his movements all together. “I didn’t mean to—OH FUCK.” This time Bucky did shout, as Steve had grabbed Bucky’s ass and pulled the man towards him, causing Steve’s mouth to fully encase Bucky’s length. He went down Steve’s throat a little, but the man didn’t seem to mind. Steve grabbed Bucky’s hands, replaced them on his head, and let him take control. 

Bucky instantly started fucking Steve’s mouth with everything he had. He reveled in the feel of Steve’s tongue, mouth and throat. Tony had never let him do this, as the man had a horribly awful gag reflex. Bucky was panting heavily as he looked down at Steve taking his cock so beautifully. The man was looking back up at Bucky with the same adoration as before, but there was something else in his eyes this time. Something more intense. Bucky could feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge, nearly falling over a few times. 

“Fuck Steve, I’m about to cum.” Bucky tightened his hands in Steve’s hair as Steve slightly nodded his consent to keep going. Steve knew he wanted to taste all that Bucky had to offer, and refused to let Bucky go. Just as Bucky was falling over the edge, Steve reached around him. He parted the perfectly firm cheeks and slightly inserted his pinky finger inside the man. Bucky screamed in pleasure as his thrusts became erratic and hot cum pumped down Steve’s throat. 

He diligently swallowed every last drop, highly enjoying the taste Bucky left in his mouth. He tasted salty and sweet, causing Steve to lick his lips when Bucky leaned back. Bucky’s eyes slowly opened as he came down from his high and drank in the sight of Steve before him. Steve’s cheeks were rosy from the effort of pleasuring Bucky and his lips were brilliantly swollen. His pupils were dark with lust and hair completely disheveled. Bucky was definitely falling for this man. 

Bucky reached forward and pulled Steve up on his feet. He kissed the man, tasting himself on Steve’s tongue. Pulling back, Bucky brushed a lock of hair behind Steve’s ears. “My turn.” Bucky whispered darkly. Steve grinned and pulled Bucky into his bedroom, grabbing the can of whipped cream on his way.

Suddenly Bucky found himself in Steve’s bedroom. He quickly took in the extreme tidiness of the room—all the way from the neatly fluffed navy duvet to the neat row of shoes lined up next to the dresser. He had some pictures scattered around his room, some looked like Steve and his mom. Others included a picture of an extremely handsome man with his arm around Steve’s shoulders. Bucky didn’t have time to be jealous however because Steve was already threading his long fingers into Bucky’s hair and tugging his face down towards his own. They kissed slowly, enjoying the spark of electricity sizzling from tongue to tongue. Bucky could feel a warmth growing in the pit of his stomach, and knew it wasn’t just arousal building again. 

Bucky’s hands wandered under Steve’s shirt and started to explore every beautifully defined muscle on his back. He quickly turned it into a game of seeing which muscles tightened under his touch, which made him moan, and the one spot where Steve let out a small giggle. Not only did the giggle provoke his arousal, but also an imminent tickle war. 

Before Steve could register what was happening, Bucky had pushed him back onto the bed and was attacking his sides without any indication of easing up anytime soon. After a few minutes Steve was gasping for breath, laughing so hard he could barely resist the tickling. Then Bucky replaced his fingers with his tongue and Steve was lost in a world of brilliant sensations. He let out a loud moan when Bucky started to suck on his tickle spot and bucked his hips towards the man’s head. When Bucky finally managed to leave a bruising mark in his wake, he lifted Steve’s shirt off and started to tug down his jeans. 

“Boxers on or off?” He asked Steve with a wicked glint in his eyes. “I plan on using that can of whipped cream again in case you were wondering.” Steve’s eyes widened and he whimpered in delight. After a moment of deliberation, Steve found his answer.

“Off, take them off please.” He said to Bucky, watching as his pupils darkened with every word. Bucky slipped off Steve’s boxers, letting his erection breathe. Bucky bit his lip as he took in the scene before him. Steve was splayed out on the bed, completely naked and wanting. The man was even more fit than Bucky, and the plethora of well-defined muscles lit him on fire. The man was like a marble statue—he was essentially a fucking Greek god. And his cock was perfect. He was bigger than Bucky expected him to be, with the most beautiful pink tip leaking his arousal and a vein slightly pulsing on the right side. 

Before Bucky got too caught up in drinking in Steve’s appearance, he grabbed the can of whipped cream and went to town. He sprayed the creamy delight every place he wanted to taste—which was pretty much Steve’s entire body. There was some whipped cream on Steve’s chest, nipples, abs, belly button, the perfectly defined V leading down to his cock, and even some on Steve’s inner thighs. Bucky had Steve spread and wanting so easily. “Now don’t move, or you’ll make a huge mess baby.” Bucky directed Steve and he vigorously nodded in response. 

Bucky started at Steve’s chest, working his way down to his puckered nipples. He swirled the peaks around in his mouth and nibbled a little almost causing Steve to rip the duvet in order to stay still. Bucky chuckled at the response and continued his torture of Steve’s body. He nipped and licked, swirled and sucked down toward Steve’s quivering thighs. He started to suck another hickey on Steve’s left thigh when Steve realized he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Oh fuck—PLEASE Bucky. Please stop teasing me. I need you so badly.” He practically whined in his effort to keep the ball moving. Bucky looked up at Steve’s cock and realized how much of his arousal was now leaking from the tip. 

“Fuck, you’re definitely ready for me baby.” He grinned slyly and scooted closer. In order to get better leverage, he grabbed a pillow and placed it under Steve’s ass causing it to lift towards Bucky’s face. “Much better. Are you ready for me sweetie?”

But before Steve could shout his response, Buck licked a stripe from the base to the tip of Steve’s cock. Steve was shaking already and Bucky had barely touched his erection. Instead of torturing him like Steve thought he would, Bucky instantly plummeted Steve’s length down his throat and sucked as hard as he could. “JESUS CHRIST YOU’RE SO GOOD BUCKY,” Steve howled in delight. He knew he wasn’t going to last much longer if Bucky kept this up. 

Bucky did just that, setting a hard and fast rhythm of sucking Steve off. He barely managed to keep the man from constantly bucking up by holding his hips down. Bucky’s mouth popped off with a loud smack and Steve blubbered at the loss of contact. “Steve, I’m going to try something. And if you don’t like it, please tell me okay?” Bucky looked up at Steve questioningly. The man was so far gone, he was pretty sure he would’ve said yes to anything at that moment. But Steve took a second before nodding his head in assent. 

Bucky reached over to grab the can of whipped cream, and spread Steve’s legs wider. “Put your heels on my shoulder babe.” Bucky commanded. Steve instantly complied, blushing as he realized how he was completely on display for the older man. Bucky tentatively spread Steve’s cheeks with one hand, and sprayed a little ring of whipped cream on top of his entrance. Steve squealed in response to the cold feeling, but spread his legs wider for Bucky to do what he liked.

Bucky leaned forward slowly and started quickly stroking Steve’s cock with his left hand. As Steve was nearing the edge, Bucky licked the whipped cream off his entrance and managed to lightly penetrate him a bit as well. Steve had never felt anything so glorious in all his life, and screamed loudly as he burst all over Bucky’s hand and his own stomach. Bucky rode him through his orgasm, slowing down his strokes and stopping as Steve’s breathing evened out. 

Steve still hadn’t opened his eyes yet, but his face depicted one of complete and utter bliss. Bucky smiled as he looked at Steve, wishing he could capture this moment forever. But soon the need to clean up outweighed the beautiful expression on Steve’s face. Bucky padded into the bathroom and found a washcloth. He wet it with warm water and came back to find Steve in the exact same position. He crawled up next to him and gently cleaned off the semen and whipped cream remnants. When he finished, Steve was looking up at Bucky with such adoration it make Bucky shiver. The look was completed with a dopey-looking smile on Steve’s part.

Steve reached over and twined his fingers with Bucky’s. Clearing his throat he asked, “Will you stay with me tonight?” Bucky should say no. He should get dressed and go home. After all, he had known this beautiful blonde man for less than three days. It was insane. But the way Steve was looking at Bucky threw all those ideas out the window. 

“Of course I will,” he replied softly. Both Bucky and Steve made to scoot up and pull the covers over themselves. Bucky had Steve set his alarm extra early so he would have time to go home and change before work. Before they knew it, Steve was curled up in the crook of Bucky’s arm with his head over Bucky’s heart. “Goodnight sweetheart,” Bucky said lightly. Bucky could feel Steve’s wide grin against his chest.

“Goodnight dear,” Steve replied dreamily. Both men sighed contentedly as they drifted off into a peaceful and comforting sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to jump into the full-on sex scene yet. After all, they barely know one another! ;) But I hope my jumping back and forth between POVs wasn't too confusing. I tried my best to make sure it was clear who was thinking and talking every time. If it wasn't please let me know!


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